kelceycoe

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Basically I am looking for definitive answers or well-research responses. I often have read or heard about "safety concerns" but it was either "The Lego Book said this" or "I wrote a letter to Lego and they said this" or just fan assumptions. This is a good response since the boy's death started it all. https://www.eurobricks.com/forum/forums/topic/36623-why-were-cannons-in-the-usa-non-shooting/page/2/#comment-672449 Still, he went on a generalized rant claiming laws were passed in 1989 restricting projectiles. I researched this and found no such laws - the earliest thing were only voluntary standards established in 1985. Official choking warning labels didn't even go into effect until January 1, 1995. Clearly he did a great job as explaining how this all got started but ruined it with an ill-researched inference. He went on to first claim they were limited to a size to outright saying all the Transformers reissues came with modified or no firing mechanisms at all. However, there were other toys with projectiles: Kenner Rapid Fire Ecto-Blaster: . This toy weapon was part of Kenner's line for The Real Ghostbusters and was released in the spring of 1990. G.I. Joe Overlord's Dictator: . This G.I. Joe vehicle, first released in 1990, featured rapid-fire machine guns and air-to-surface missiles. Ghostbusters Vapor Ghost: . This toy from the Slimed Heroes line of 1990 was filled with ice water and could "slime" the Ray Stantz figure. Mighty Max Playsets: . Playsets such as Blasts Magnus and Strikes Fang included missile-launching features. What he was talking about regarding Transformers is briefly covered in this Transformers wiki: https://tfwiki.net/wiki/For_safety_reasons#Choking_hazards Obviously, this is still just a bunch of inferences mixed together to make a wiki. So at this point I am looking for: Lego-provided evidence for the removal of the shooting cannons here in the US Specific dates or close to them indicating this change (this can only be verified by customers who kept their receipts - doubtful - or who have the set they received, original bricks and all, in an original box with a price sticker that may reflect the price of that set during a given and known time period). And this same information for the "transitional/disabled" cannons and non-shooting cannons. Peeron / Bricklink do not always appear to agree (I am also aware they claim all the Pirates set were released in 1989 - that is true for Europe and catalog customers in the US ). According to the US Medium Catalogs for 1989 and 1990, only four Pirate sets were sold to retailers (US customers could buy all the smaller sets through the 1989 shop at home catalogs) and all the smaller sets were marked as "New" in the 1990 medium catalog (and I think the 1990 minisheets). Definitively, you are guaranteed at least a "disabled" black-handled cannon or disabled cannon in any of the smaller sets like Shipwreck Island, Sabre Island and Harbor's Sentry if you purchased them from a retailer (I am guessing shooting cannons were only available in these sets to SAH Catalog customers who purchased them for their "early August 1989 release in the US"). This likely happened within the first 6 months of 1990. Then after those sets and all previous sets were equipped with the cross-cannon non-shooting cannon. By the time 1991 rolled around, all new sets, and again this is only an inference, were guaranteed a non-shooting cannon. This is probably the best I can write about this topic for now since its been almost 40 years since the original Pirates were released. Growing up and owning all of these toys I also assumed the bright red versions were just a shipwrecked Captain Red Beard. But after reading product descriptions from that time period it definitely changed my mind and added to the confusion. In my collection, for my narratives, (and based on the Japanese trailer for The Islanders), both Captains were rivals - Captain Ironhook once worked for Captain Red Beard but after being found guilty of mutiny (like in the Disney movie Treasure Island) he was ousted and became his own Captain with his own ship and crew. Captain Ironhook focused his attention on the Islanders (red Beard on the Imperials) and, after 1995's Treasure Chest set, was ultimately killed. We know - if we consider the newer Barracuda Bay set as canon- that the Islanders also met their fate and Captain Red Beard is the lone surviving Captain.

I asked about the flags with stickers because Bricklink lists them so I a uncertain why they even existed. Captain Ironhook came after the 1989-1991 wave so yes if you didn't follow the Pirates theme after you'd miss him. Captain Iron hook appears in 9 sets (if you count the reissues) based on his torso design: https://www.bricklink.com/catalogItemIn.asp?P=973p3ac01&in=S I am only counting the baseline 7 sets in my list below, marking * in sets where he has both legs and brown hair and ** in sets where he has a pegleg and red hair. 6261-1 Raft Raiders* 6264-1 Forbidden Cove ** 6268-1 Renegade Runner * 6278-1 Enchanted Island ** 6289-1 Red Beard Runner * (He wears the tricorne hat too) 1788-1 Pirate Treasure Chest ** 1873-1 Pirate Treasure * But with only 5 variations: https://www.bricklink.com/catalogItemIn.asp?P=973p3ac01&in=M It gets confusing because in the earlier sets he has both legs then he jumps back and forth between a pegleg and both legs for no reason given so I always thought it was sloppy overall on Lego's part and just a way to satisfy Pirates fans. I also noticed Captain Red Beard never set foot on any of the Islanders sets (he was never included in an Islander set is what I mean) and battled exclusively the Imperial Guards (red coats). When a Pirate Captain is seen on these sets it is Captain Iron Hook. Yes! By 1991 all sets in the US (maybe North America) had non-shooting cannons, the cross-cannon variation. Basically what I am trying to get at is the time frame we had the black handle and the time frame they started the official non-shooting variation that lasted for years.

Is there a "code" to cracking the black handle vs the cross-canon symbol on non-shooting cannons here in the US? I remember owning Black Seas Barracuda, Forbidden Island and the Fort Eldorado in 1989 (I was 5). They all came with shooting canons. But in 1990 I was certain my Shipwreck Island came with the black handle cannon and Sabre Island had the new non-shooter with the logo resembling the Imperial's crossed cannon logo. Does anyone remember what their sets had and about when you bought/got them? For example: Almost all of the sets released in 1989 had the shooting cannons here in the US and throughout North America. Sometime end of 1989 into the beginning of early 1990s we get a black handled cannon that has been disabled (it could technically still shoot if you flick it but that wasn't its intention). II am guessing the third production batch had these since I got my Black Seas Barracuda in October 1989, likely Forbidden Island then too, and my Fort Eldorado at Christmas 1989 (it was likely bought early since I think my aunt/grandma bought it for me) and from the pics I had it looked like the cannon was normal. Also, sometime before September 1989 the flags were stickers. Does anyone remember how long the sets had stickers because I never had flags with stickers yet my cannons were still the shooting variation. Or were the stickers dependent in another country? I am unsure when I got Shipwreck Island and Sabre Island. But I recall a black handle with a brown cannon holder so I think my Shipwreck Island had my black handle and my Sabre Island came with the cross-cannon non-shooting cannon (which would make perfect since as the Imperials logo is the crossed cannons). All I know, based on the Lego catalogs / minisheets for 1989 and 1990 and the Sears Holiday Wish Book, here in the United States we only had the 4 main sets available to us before all the smaller sets came in 1990. I do know and gathered it from reading here on the forums, Captain Ironhook had both Captain Red Beard's red head and his own brown head: When he had a pegleg he had red hair but in sets he actually had legs he had brown hair. Personally I always thought Captain Ironhook was a shipwreck version of Red Beard. I guess I never read the boxes as I thought it was a money grab to entice us to buy more Pirates since we were thinking we were getting more Red Beard toys. Do we know why/when the treasure chests were changed from no slots in the back to having slots in the back? I recently rebuilt my vintage Lego collection from 1980s into the early 2000s and I ran into so many interesting things. Did you know the dark gray 1x8 flat plates in the Pier Police set from 1991 had solid studs on the bottom? That was my only set with those solid studs on the bottom. I am also trying to figure out which 3 brown 1x8 studs had a common hollow stud as there were two variations of hollow studs on these parts before they became solid in the later 2000s. I only have the Legoland 3D Witch to compare with all the Western sets so hopefully that mystery will be even easier to solve.

What is the status on this? I recently purchased the 1990 and 1991 Parent Guides and need to scan those myself.

^^^ Thanks for posting that. I happen to own that flier too. I do not recall if I ever cashed these in since the sets weren't so rare or expensive so I had no motivation to cut my instructions for these. Today, several cereals still offer free items with points or proof of purchases. It was a cheap gimmick then and cheaper now. But they were ugly and frankly I'm not proud O owned many of these institutions.

Uh, that's what I was afraid of lol

In one of the UK commercials for the Pirates theme, Captain Red Beard / Roger is seen holding a black atennea backwards as a telescope. In another shot, it appears to have been cut to make the piece smaller. Has then been officially confirmed or was it the angle he held the piece?

Any way you can reupload the yellow game rules sheet? Do you remember which shop at home catalog came with the set - like the 1989 or 1990 version?

I converted mine to the 1984 by simply not adding the rust stickers. But how do I move the ladder to the other side without it looking like crap since it's not built the same technique as the Lego Ideas version?

And who knows... it might pick up a cult following years later and people may want to revive the thread?

I have built every HS set except the train and castle and I felt the theme was very heavy on vehicles. How many do Jack and Parker need? A lot of these sets were either vehicle only or had some sort of vehicle, even if it were small (the lighthouse, the shrimp diner, the submarine set). While I do love this theme more that I own it, there are a lot of cons I'm not fond of. For one, the color mismatches between the sets, instructions and boxes. While the love the idea of violent sets I am also surprised this theme went straight off the radar as it contains monsters who's intentions are eating kids, even if they are teens. While that seems to fly in horror nowadays (see IT films or Child Eater film) it's still rather odd it made it into a theme. Even the Monster Fighter theme got accused of bringing Satanism to children. I still feel a lot of the sets are unnecessary but I really haven't opened the app too much, read the activity book despite owning it or even watched the "online series" so I am in the dark about it all. And I am a huge opponent of the augmented reality. Right now it's a cool concept... but I remember a lot of things Lego did 20 or more years ago that were cool then but the parts are either not working (like my light-up lightsaber minifigures or the 9V batteries from the old space/town sets) or break easily (rubberbands, the very old palm trees). There were a lot of games and activities Lego had on their site that you have to deep-search Google to even find the offline flash versions, if you are lucky. I'd hate to have loved the Monster Fighters game... 6 years later and it's gone. And this theme seemed to rely too much on the app for a full understanding of the story and whatnot. I also realized that while the Lighthouse looks similar to the Scooby Doo one on the outside, the build is different and this lighthouse is angled. Plus the inside of the lighthouse isn't as exciting as the Scooby Doo version.

What theme are you talking about? Monkie Kid?

Hopefully they come back. They are definitely worth it. I mentioned it. Yea some of them were good and some were way to kid-ish. This isn't a history post. This is about the spooky/Halloween sets for 2020. I observing many HS sets are identical or loosely based on existing sets. If you want a brief history of spooky themes (ignoring all seasonal sets and the themes with random spooky sets, specifically Castle, except for Fright Knights): * 1997-98 Fright Knights * ?? Skeleton Army Sets * 2002 Studios - "Scary Thriller" * 2012 Monster Fighters * 2015 Scooby Doo * ?? CMF Monster Theme ?? CMF Costume Party Theme (some consider that Halloween) * 2019-2020 Hidden Side Obviously there are tons more, from the several Ghostbusters-themed sets to Stranger Things to the hordes of seasonal Halloween sets to the rare Halloween gear (like the Halloween Pen and Scary Clock) to the ghost subtheme of Ninjago to a lot of Nexo Knights sets plus all the themes with spooky elements from time to time, from indiana Jones to Jurassic Park to Harry Potter to Pirates of the Caribbean to Mario to Batman to even Star Wars.

I thought the next spooky theme were Ghostbusters sets based on Afterlife? I mean, on the plus side it's great for my wallet. Except for the Juice cart and Photo lab I just bought all of the HD sets just so I could have all the spooky sets. I really super hated HD in the beginning but in some ways it grew on me. It's definitely a direct rip-off but kid-friendly version of Stranger Things and I was browsing all the boxes today and couldn't help but to notice sooo many sets from this theme were literally built upon existing Lego sets from mostly other Haunted themes: Light House: Scooby Doo Fairground: What should have been Scooby Doo and some of Jokerland Mystery Castle: Vampyre's Castle Photo Lab / Subway / portal: Ghostbusters 2016 Prison: Ghostbusters 2 and 2016 (although this set used the idea of the prisoners from these mediums since there were no prisons in these films, only a jail cell in the first film) Shrimp Boat: Scooby Doo Lighthouse Haunted School Bus: Nightmare on Elm Street (ok not an existing them but it's the first film franchise that comes to mind) Haunted School: I feel like this was inspired by Goosebumps and I don't know why

For those who look forward to my posts about Halloween sets, I wanted to make a current one reflecting all of the available Halloween and Spooky sets available. This includes books as well. Earlier this year Hidden Side released Wave 2, noteworthy was the Lighthouse which is many ways was similar to the Lighthouse from Scooby Doo. Also earlier this year we saw one of the first sets based on a more mature licensed media, Stranger Things, with the set called Upside Down, complete with its own line of promotional products. Hidden Side has finally released 3rd Wave sets, specifically noteworthy is the castle set, echoing the previous Monster Fighters and Scooby Doo castle sets. They also have an activity book available from major retailers and you get a Jack minifigure. After almost 20 years, Lego has released official Universal Studios Monsters set with the Frankenstein Brickheadz (yes it should be Frankenstein's Monster). Recall that the 2002 "Scary Thriller" monster sets released under the then Studios theme weren't officially licensed but inferred in some way due to Lego's then licenses with Universal Studios, specifically as it related to the then Studios theme. For the first time in 8 years, Lego has re-released a Haunted House set (not counting the Creator Fall set from years ago). The set resembles the 2012 Monster Fighter's Haunted House set, is lower-priced than the MF set, but changes it into an elevator ride. One of my favorites and original idea, that can fit with the new Haunted House and Haunted Fairground, is the Haunted Hayride vignette set. A Halloween Ideas Book has been released containing a build for a "spooky scene," pretty much a tombstone with a skeleton. Super Mario Bros contain some scary characters and levels based on the video game. Another new and great idea for this year are the inclusion of two Halloween ornaments for people who put up "Halloween trees," depicting a bat and pumpkin. Of course if you own a Creator tree house set or even the Stranger Things set you can use those to hang the ornaments. Harry Potter has re-released updated sets where many contain spooky elements and characters.

Yes it was! So wasn't the Dino Island and the Amazon sets!

Sounds like an extension of the Hidden Side with the villains from another dimension. I doubt it means the end of the theme.

Why are there no Hidden Side sets in the new SAH catalog here in the US?

If I buy the castle... I'm considering turning it into a "headquarters" for the actual Monster Fighters themselves from 2012. I was disappointed that line only gave them vehicles and no actual castle like the videos showed especially since LEGO has pretty much given each the good guys and bad guys their own vehicle and fort since the Pirates debut in 1989. For furniture, I'll likely reuse stuff from my second Vampire castle I bought so it can now appear less cluttered.

There have been numerous sets with box art released that never were released publicly. It would be stupid for LEGO not to release the only remaining set that closely resembles the MF castle, the set that could help get more AFOLs into buying more HS sets, especially after the disastrous second wave.

Can anyone tell me if any of the figures from DC Super Heroes 71026 are the '60s version from the '60s TV series?

@Falconfan1414 How do you know any of this? So have we wasted more pages basing our discussions purely on speculation and fan hopes with no actual concrete information confirmed? Can the mods start... I don't know... moderating these forums and deleting any alleged "leaks" so we don't make any conclusions based on false or skewed information?

Unfortunately this debate seems to be too much "old" vs "new" . People who love Stranger Things and Scooby Doo love Hidden Side. But those who love the more horror stuff (Ghostbusters, Universal Studios Monster films) love the Monster Fighters line the most. I can tell you, putting a couple sets from HS with my setup, HS sets do not integrate well with anything but City, Swamp, Fairground, Nautical, and even Ghostbuster themes. Scooby Doo, sadly due to its cartoony look, is its own theme and USM and MF fit well together. Hell even some of the older Harry Potter sets fit well sith MF.

True. I mean the HH is based on a mashup of the house from Addams Family & Munsters. Not to mention... Zombie set from White Zombie Other sets from both Monster themes are obvious except the original Frankenstein castle which smashes up Dr. Frank with Jekyll/Hyde. Igor appears in the Vampire's Crypt as a hunchback despite he was Dr Frank's assistant and not hunched back in the Universal film if I recall. Now Van Helsing also appears in this set as the Vampire slayer but younger. Remsfield did not appear in this set. Hilariously, Remsfield was the actual name given to the Zombie Driver on the MF early mockup box arts... as was also the name Dracula. Frank's Bride was actually in the form of Lord Vampire's wife. The Monster Butler is based on Lurch if I recall from the early box art... but its obvious anyway. The Monster Rocker is likely based on those older monster mashup cartoons, I think Groovin Ghoulies but could have been something else. There really were not many animated monster rally musical cartoons (Mad Monster Party did not put the Monster with the guitar). To note, the old Beetlejuice show actually gave its monster a guitar.